Everything on today's menu is low-fat and high-fiber. Consume as much as you want:

The terms of BART's recent negotiations with labor may strike some as a paradox. While management fairly caved on wage increases (15.4 percent over four years) and barely pushed on health insurance contributions ($130 a month), it was surprisingly resolute in its stand on overtime pay (available only after working 40 hours in a week). A recent email from a reader may explain why the issue was so important:

"My brother is a BART driver and takes a 'sick' day off each week, then works the sixth day at overtime pay. One year he was able to game the system to a tune of a $120,000 salary."

Maybe cutting down on overtime will counteract the regular wage giveaways.

For those who tremble at Plan Bay Area and fear local planning control has been surrendered to regional powers comes a report from Lafayette City Manager Steve Falk that suggests growth is still a hometown issue.

The Terraces at Lafayette, proposed as a 315-unit apartment complex with 569 parking spaces, has been considerably downsized (208 units, 375 parking spaces) because -- drumroll, please -- the Lafayette Design Review Commission refused to endorse the developer's original plans.

In Lafayette, at least, local decision-makers still determine what will and what won't be built.

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Oakley's hesitancy last week to ban plastic shopping bags showed more depth of thought than councils that rubber-stamp the idea. Several valid questions were raised: Why exempt some stores and not others? How much will the ordinance cost to enforce? Aren't there anti-littering laws already on the books?

The scattershot approach -- bans in some cities, not in others -- is also apt to produce unwanted results. When Pittsburg's law kicks in next year, for instance, won't shoppers who want the convenience of plastic bags simply take their business to Antioch?

Walnut Creek may have shown the greatest wisdom, endorsing two state bills -- SB 405 and AB 158 -- that would impose standard restrictions throughout the state. If plastic bags really are a threat to the environment, piecemeal solutions hardly seem the best way to handle it.

Richmond police Chief Chris Magnus, who's made notable inroads in curtailing violence in his city, shared an insightful observation about the topic last week at a fundraising luncheon for STAND! for Families Free of Violence.

"We understand the factors that contribute to street crime -- poverty, unemployment, racism, education, public health -- but street violence starts in the home. We're not going to effectively address street gangs and shootings until we can create environments in people's homes that are safe and people resolve conflict in a peaceful way."

Magnus shared the Rollie Mullen Award, recognizing commitment to STAND!'s mission, with colleague Capt. Bisa French, who said domestic violence calls once meant only breaking up fights. Officers now do follow-up calls, referring victims to social welfare advocates and counseling services.

Who knew there was so much money in trash? The news that the Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority will pay the winning bidder $500 million for the next 10 years to remove and recycle refuse from the 65,000 households it serves gives new meaning to an old expression. One man's trash really is another's treasure.